Deyanna Festival

Festival highlights

Its defining feature is that it is not a lively festival for spectators to watch; instead, the entire community maintains silence.

The priest and attendants hold sakaki leaves in their mouths and do not speak as they make their way to Mimiura Shrine carrying lanterns and offerings.

It is a solemn ritual in which the previous batch of sake is assessed to divine whether the harvest will be good or poor, after which a new batch is brewed.

Source: Deyanna Festival

A sacred abstinence festival where sake is brewed in silence and the island’s harvest is divined

What to expect

Before the shinji, rice, koji, offerings, shimenawa, and other items are prepared, and an altar is set up at the toya’s home or the public hall.

Before departure, the words “deyan na yo” are announced, and people in the village close their doors and windows and refrain from using lights or making noise.

The shinshoku and their attendants check and prepare the sake at Mimiura Shrine. After they return, a naorai is held using offerings.

How to take part

This is not a festival in which general visitors take part in the shinji.

It is generally conducted only by the shinshoku and their attendants. Local residents do not go outside as participants; instead, they observe abstinence during the shinji and keep watch from within their homes.

It is important to respect the nature of the festival and avoid crossing paths with the shinshoku or their attendants, or trying to watch the shinji.

No general public method for applying to take part in the shinji is listed.

The shinji is conducted by the shinshoku and their attendants, and local residents follow the custom of observing abstinence after being told “deyan na yo.”

Anyone visiting is expected not to come to participate in or approach the shinji, and to avoid interfering with local prohibitions.

Location and access

Venue and address

Mimiura Shrine and the toya’s home or the public hall in Nishinoshima Town.

Mimiura Shrine is in the mountains of Beppu, Nishinoshima Town, Oki District, Shimane Prefecture.

Address Beppu, Nishinoshima Town, Oki District, Shimane Prefecture

Open in Google Maps

Dates and season

Season

Twice a year, in spring and autumn

Frequency

Twice a year

Accommodation and hotels PR

Tips for your visit

At this festival, the words “deyan na yo” are announced before the shinji begins, and local residents close the doors and windows of their homes and refrain from using lights or making noise.

There is a prohibition against looking at the shinshoku, their attendants, or the light of the chochin, so please avoid walking around the area during the shinji or approaching to watch.

Above all, respect the quiet of the community and the boundaries of the ritual.

Origins and History of Deyanna Festival

Mimiura Shrine was originally a mountain shrine enshrining the Kondo family’s tutelary deity. The Kondo family were village headmen in Beppu.

The name of the Kondo family appears on a ridge plaque dated Genroku 2 (1689). The festival continued to be held by the family’s relatives even after the Kondo family moved away during the Meiji period.

It was later discontinued due to the consolidation of shrines, but was revived with the ward head serving as the toya, and has been passed down as the shinji held today.

Deyanna Festival at a Glance

The Deyanna Festival is a sake-brewing ritual passed down at Mimiura Shrine in Beppu, Nishinoshima Town.

A priest and attendants brew sake and divine whether the harvest will be good or poor from how it turns out, while the people of the settlement refrain from going out or making noise to preserve the sacred time.

The festival is not intended for viewing or general participation; it is approached with respect for the community’s abstinence and taboos.